While the mass proliferation of poker, online poker being a case in point, in such a huge way as we see nowadays is a recent phenomenon, poker in itself has a rich tradition and a chequered history behind it. Poker as we know and love it today has evolved into its current set of variants over a few centuries.

As the game has evolved, so has the fundamental strategy applied to the game. But before we start on that, understand that the game of poker is little else but a game that is ruled by probability; that is the cornerstone of all strategy. Live poker strategy also involves using physical tells to deduce how good or bad an opponent's hand is; players playing online, for obvious reasons, don't have that luxury. As a result, online poker strategy leans heavily in favor of carefully observing betting patterns.

Modern day Poker Strategy
Modern online poker strategy is fundamentally divided into two schools of thought; one is to shy away from confrontation i.e. being passive in playing poker games and the other is being aggressive or being active in playing online poker games.

Online Poker Strategy for Early Stages
1. In the beginning stages of a poker tournament or a poker game, a player usually has two choices as mentioned before. There are usually 9 to 10 players occupying a table. These players start off very aggressively, hoping to take an early lead. If that comes to fruition, they'd go on to play passively or tight in the middle stages, and again aggressively in the closing stages.

A smart player can, however, exploit this rather obvious pattern for their benefit. By deploying strategy that is based on continuation betting, they can level the field somewhat and manage some neat rewards towards the pot.

Continuation betting is a poker strategy which involves betting post-flop in online poker games or tournaments. The player will raise a hand during the game after which he has already gained control of the game.

Gaining control of the hand along with a possible position will often make opponents check to the player. As the game goes on, the other players will have to keep guessing whether or not the player is holding a monster hand. At the end of the mentioned last card hand, the player will lay out his bet, and the rivals will be indecisive, more so if the continuation bet is substantial enough.
2. The aggressive players' perspective is that he sees his aggressiveness as something he must not let waver, lest he send out some tell-tale patterns to other opponents.

When faced with a continuation bet online poker strategy, the aggressive player must weigh his chances but more often than not, would be ready to risk big. Quite often, using such a strategy, one could call the bluff of the player employing continuation betting strategies.

3. One may also stick to another poker strategy, which is using the passive style. A passive player plays very tight and cautious, and tends to wait out for hands that have a very good winnings potential. Often, these players last long even after several others have been knocked out. Far from being a timid player, a passive player is actually akin to a predator lying in the camouflaging grass, waiting for the prey to get careless, and then striking in one swift and sure attack.

Those who use this online poker strategy get plenty of time and opportunities to keep an eye on opponents in an online poker game or tournament. Thus, the player will be able to observe the betting pattern of his opponents, which in turn will give him a peek into the way they're strategizing.

Conclusion on Online Poker Strategy
The strategy used by a player during the early rounds of an online poker game not only lays the foundation for the rest of the game, but also mirrors how they'll play in the succeeding rounds. This is so because to be successful, one must stick to the online poker strategy they've planned out.